from the and-not-software-industry-interests-as-well dept

At first, this sounded like a good thing: a software industry group slammed the Digital Britain report that came out recently for basically caving to recording industry interests, noting that it was just that industry using its lobbying power to try to prop up a failed business model. Indeed! Except... then you look at the details and it's not as impressive. The software group is the Federation Against Software Theft and Investors in Software (FAST IiS), which should already have you scratching your head... and then the details show that basically they're not upset about propping up a failed business model, they just wish it also propped up their own failed business model:

"All digital content is equal before the law and so too should be all digital industries. A piecemeal approach will confuse digital consumers, both the public and businesses, will muddy the legal framework and will therefore ultimately impede Britain's success in the new digital economy of the twenty-first century."

Yes, it's awful that the plan basically tries to prop up one industry -- but why should it need to prop up two industries with failed business models?

It's because..

Um...

I have never said this before but I think you missed on this one, Mike. In the out-law article you linked to it was written up as if the FAST IiS people have a big problem with this legislation.

"“The entertainment sector appear to have lobbied the Government to consider establishing a ‘pirates tax’ on all of us as well as yet another quango to oversee it, meaning more cost, and more hassle," said FAST IiS chief executive John Lovelock."

""I think it’s time that [the entertainment] industries came up to speed in the modern market and changed their business models to encourage their customers to use the internet for their purchasing," he said."

Both copied directly from the linked to article.

I don't have a link to the entire statement, so I may be missing an important part.